Against others' advice and my (in hindsight) better judgment, I bought a Blues Deluxe Reissue last year when there was a sale at GC and the price difference between the BDRI and a Blues Jr NOS was about $50. I also thought there was a chance that I would be involved in a start up garage band of newbie old farts like me. Well, that never happened and while I love the clear tones, it is just too much. I have tried a few different pedals, but have not found the gritty blues sound I want to hear from it without shaking the house. I also bought one of those Omnisomnic volume boxes from ebay and that has made it easier to control the jump in volume, but it's still just too darn loud.
I am considering selling the amp or trading it for something else, but what? I'd like to stick with Fender, but the Blues Jr is way overpriced now (IMHO). I have a VOX AD30VT, so I really don't want another modeling amp. I want to stay with a smaller combo style amp as my bad back has become somewhat worse over the last year. I have even thought about buying a Fender Champ 600 and running it through the speaker in the BDRI. I think that can be done fairly easily.
Any ideas?
Thanks,
Jim
Well if you weren't set on Fender I'd say look at the new Marshall Haze 15 that Wes Inman wrote a review about a few weeks or so ago.
Probably not going to get same cleans as the Fender though.
"It's all about stickin it to the man!"
It's a long way to the top if you want to rock n roll!
Well if you weren't set on Fender I'd say look at the new Marshall Haze 15 that Wes Inman wrote a review about a few weeks or so ago.
Probably not going to get same cleans as the Fender though.
Hi cnev, yep I was thinking about the Haze but at $600 plus the need for a speaker cab, it's probably not going to be affordable for me at this time. I am not totally set on Fender, just a big fan of their products. I was also thinking about taking a look at the new little 4 watt Vox combo. It's switchable from 4 watts down to 1/4 watt. That could be the ticket for lower volume grit.
Jim
Hey Jim,
Please read this, which is my suggestion too BTW: "Placing a series of resistors between the output of a high-level (100-W) tube amp and a speaker cabinet, Scholz found a way to "soak up" an amp's output - though it could still be pinned at maximum volume, for full distortion effect. He had created what he called the Power Soak." ....... or try a power soak, and some of the explanation and this idea goes back to ... WOW!!! Tom Scholz, again? 8)
Check the best and for hours and hours, you could google the rest? :lol: http://www.amptone.com/scholzpowersoak.htm
Also, it happens that I believe I understand your problem, and have multiple amps for this. First, I have 2 Blues Deluxes, one of the original MIA's from La Brea, and a Re-issue which is MIM. Somebody snuck a couple of Groove Tubes into the RI on me, and I pulled them, eventually replacing just one by itself in the pre-amp section, where balancing/biasing is not required. These amps are not bias adjustable anyhow.
You're right, and it's also the reason that I sold the sister/brother amp Hot Rod Deluxe while it was still new. Anyhow, as you say, either Blues Deluxe can get loud when you have to turn them up! They are fully capable of jumping off the floor and getting some good air underneath themselves; they shake and rattle everything except themselves and their chassis - so the house moves, including walls, china cabinets, dishes, it's an earthquake; sometimes it can be fun. :shock:
I have the Blues Junior @ 15 watts, with which you are familiar. And it already has the 12" speaker. It's just fantastic. Maybe you should get one regardless of perceived cost or value. It will deliver what you want, but still needs to be cranked! It's not so hot on lower volumes and that is exactly why Torres Engineering created a kit for them, and there are ways to make them class A which costs 3 times the price. :roll: Oh man, not worth it.
I also have the Champ and always felt mine was 6 watts (1973-ish) and not 5W like the new ones. Little difference. Another great amp but you couldn't very well gig with it.
Here's a few power soak/Attenuators that look reasonable and should do the job for you, and there's lots more I'm sure. http://www.tubejuiceattenuators.com/
Many pros use 2 Juniors, one on each side of the stage. You could be be happy with one if your crowd isn't over 1,000 fans. :lol:
Like a bird on the wire,
like a drunk in a midnight choir
I have tried in my way to be free.
I bought a Blues Deluxe Reissue last year when there was a sale at GC and the price difference between the BDRI and a Blues Jr NOS was about $50 . . . it's . . . just too darn loud.
Dang if that don't sound familiar.
5 watts will get the wife yellin' at ya too.
There's two things you can do, and I'd recommend you do both in the order I post 'em.
First, go out and buy a real attenuator and not one of those "volume box" thingabobs that go in an FX loop.
I'd recommend the ones built be Ted Weber: http://www.tedweber.com/atten.htm
I've got a Mini Mass and it's been rock solid reliable for years. I can use it with all my amps. It gets the volume down to "family friendly" levels.
After you've used the attenuator a while with the BD, decide if you want to sell and get something smaller. I love the sound of a 6L6, but my heart truly belongs to the sound of el-84 tubes at the verge of meltdown, so I use a Blues Jr. as my "hi-power" gig amp. I'm using a 5-watt Valve Jr. almost as much. It all depends on whether I want the VJ's single ended raunch, or cleaner push-pull sounds from the Fender.
Playing guitar and never playing for others is like studying medicine and never working in a clinic.
Oh, now, push-pull power amps have their own special kind of raunch when you way overdrive them so the bias voltage goes ridiculously high and the crossover distortion gets to insane levels. Trouble is, on the usual push-pull amps the power rating's high enough to make your ears bleed when they do it. Hmmm, I think I have an idea.
"A cheerful heart is good medicine."
Oh, now, push-pull power amps have their own special kind of raunch when you way overdrive them so the bias voltage goes ridiculously high and the crossover distortion gets to insane levels. Trouble is, on the usual push-pull amps the power rating's high enough to make your ears bleed when they do it. Hmmm, I think I have an idea.
Uh-oh. What have I done? :shock: 8)
Playing guitar and never playing for others is like studying medicine and never working in a clinic.
I beleive the Haze also can be purchased as a combo.
"It's all about stickin it to the man!"
It's a long way to the top if you want to rock n roll!
I beleive the Haze also can be purchased as a combo.
"It's all about stickin it to the man!"
It's a long way to the top if you want to rock n roll!
Ever consider a pedal of some sort, like a Boss Blues Driver or something?
Roy
"I wonder if a composer ever intentionally composed a piece that was physically impossible to play and stuck it away to be found years later after his death, knowing it would forever drive perfectionist musicians crazy." - George Carlin
Ever consider a pedal of some sort, like a Boss Blues Driver or something?
That sounds like another good idea.
:D
Like a bird on the wire,
like a drunk in a midnight choir
I have tried in my way to be free.
Ever consider a pedal of some sort, like a Boss Blues Driver or something?
That sounds like another good idea.
:D
As a matter of fact, I did. I bought the Boss BD-2 a while back. Maybe I just didn't myself enough time to dial it in, but I ended up taking it back. I may give it another shot. Do either of you have one? I would like some setting suggestions if you do.
Jim
Ever consider a pedal of some sort, like a Boss Blues Driver or something?
That sounds like another good idea.
:D
As a matter of fact, I did. I bought the Boss BD-2 a while back. Maybe I just didn't myself enough time to dial it in, but I ended up taking it back. I may give it another shot. Do either of you have one? I would like some setting suggestions if you do.
Jim
Sorry, I use 3 different Tube Screamers and a Blues Breaker and it is my opinion that they work for me better than whatever potential is in a stock BD-2. Some reviews of the BD-2 talk about hiss, with gain set beyond 2? Some say not enough drive.
The BD-2 looks like a touchy, or even difficult, pedal to use. There are tons of opinions about them, mostly positive of course, and many people flatly rebel against the Tube Screamer. I guess it's a matter of a few more $$$ for the TS?
I don't think I would consider one (The Boss) without a Keeley Mod. Here's an intelligent review with some substance.
http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/wiki/index.php/Keeley_Boss_Blues_Driver_BD-2_Review
And a pretty fair description from Hal Leonard on the Blues Driver and similar pedals of the same family ...
Here is the description and some rational insights from that well-known Hal Leonard Boss book: see P 093
Like a bird on the wire,
like a drunk in a midnight choir
I have tried in my way to be free.
I don't have one. My brother in law does and plays it through his Hot Rod Deluxe. Sounds pretty good. I'm trying to think how he uses it. He might play his clean rhythm on very low gain (not the clean channel) and then kick on the BD pedal for increased grit and volume for lead.
I've got an Ibanez TS9DX and an EH 'Lil Muff that I like. I played 'em through my Blues Deluxe some before the ear issue. Straight into the clear channel. I did enjoy the tone. You can get really nasty at volumes no higher than 2. Kind of what I'm getting at is that I hear some people use pedals to get the tone in front of an amp that they like clean. I'm not a tone expert or anything, but it sure sounds logical when they argue that point.
I've been unable to run anything with lead or gritty tones through an amp at very, very low volumes and have it sound good. The closest I've come is straight from my Boss GT-10 to my PC, and then I get to hear it on playback. I've got a Super Champ XD too, and the "voicings" sound fairly decent, but it's still too much for the ear. Admittedly, I've probably got a much lower tolerance for noise than a skittish old dog right now. I wouldn't take too much stock in what I say. It might be low enough for you, in other words. Same for pedals on the Blues Deluxe RI.
Smoking Dog here had some killer tone coming out of his, I think, Blues Jr. a year ago. Tone to drool for. Surely lots in his fingers too went into that.
Hmmm, funny thing. I did a EZ-tone Blues patch that isn't too bad on my GT-10. Instead of using the (digitalized) BD-2, they used a (digitalized) tube screamer.
Oh well, just some of the things I've messed with and had varying degrees of success.
Roy
"I wonder if a composer ever intentionally composed a piece that was physically impossible to play and stuck it away to be found years later after his death, knowing it would forever drive perfectionist musicians crazy." - George Carlin
I'm using a Bad Monkey for blusey/classic roack and a Boss DS-2 for more harder roack tones thorugh my BDRI. I've also got the cheap ebay vlume box. I play through the clean channel with all settings between 4-7 (I usually play around with the setting every time I play) and I've been very happy with the BDRI. It's also so pretty now that I've varnished the Tweed. I also like my Strat and Tele much better through it that my PRS.
I had a Blues Jr and it was just to "farty" sounding, IMHO.
Don't give up on it. It's a great amp.
I do have a 3/5 watt Black heart that I use for practice. Great tone right out of the box and no need to use a pedal as I can really crank it.
Take Care,
Trey
